When the three of us woke up the following morning, Darren and me would usually lay around for half an hour. Wyatt slept heavily while Darren and I whispered, but Wyatt would wake up with his usual haze.

“Did you hear Amaya this morning?” I asked Darren.

“No, and typically she’s the first one up of all of us. Not only that, her shuffling about the house is what wakes me up,” he said.

I nodded. “Me too.”

The three of us decided to play some Elite Crushers while we waited for her, but when we sauntered into the living room, we heard a cacophony of plastic clicking. Amaya was fully dressed, playing against the wicked hacked computers and mashing the plastic buttons on her controller.

We filed in and sat on the couch and chairs. None of us spoke a word, Amaya was in deep concentration, and none of us dared to break it. In an impressive display, she beat the hacked computer on the highest difficulty, not unusual, but she won convincingly.

“Whoa, bravo, that was intense,” I said.

Amaya was silent.

“When did you wake up?” I asked.

“I don’t know, maybe 6 AM?” Amaya said. It was already 9:30.

Wyatt gave a long, “Woooooooooooooooooooooooooow.”

“I couldn’t sleep. I was crying the majority of the night.”

My heart cracked like an egg. Amaya didn’t deserve that.

“Dang,” Darren said. “I’m really sorry. I’m also sorry we stayed the night, we weren’t sure if we should have left, but we figured we would stay here and support you in case you wanted anything. We can head out here in a moment if you’d like some space.”

Amaya set down her controller. The TV was already muted. “This is what I’m going to do. I’ve decided. After all of that crying last night, I had a catharsis. It felt much needed, like I had this dam that was blocking up all of my emotions, and when I got to my bedroom, the dam exploded. I let it all out and had a moment of clarity. I’m going to play in the New York tournament. I need to overcome my cursed anxiety somehow. And I know you guys don’t think you’re ready or can’t afford to go, and that’s okay. I don’t expect you to pay for a tournament pass for both days. If we keep hanging out, though, which I would like to do because your guys’ friendship has meant a lot to me, I want the three of you there in New York in August. You guys don’t have to play, but just to have you there to support me would go a long way. I would even offer to pay for your spectator pass, and you all could stay in my hotel room. I’ll even buy your flights too!”

The three of us couldn’t believe it. We checked in with each other nonverbally and then our gazes slowly panned back to Amaya, and we nodded.

August couldn’t come soon enough. I was so excited for Amaya to make a triumphant return to the tournament scene, but not in the singles. She only agreed to play in the doubles bracket with Wyatt. Every weekend the three of us would hang out with Amaya. It started to feel so natural that we developed our own group chat. We shared funny pictures with the four of us. It felt like our group dynamic finally completed itself. Amaya was the essential friend we needed to balance out our circle. Wyatt, Darren, and I always had fun together, but our friendship hit a stride with Amaya joining us.

We all hung out on weekends and played Elite Crushers. Then on Sunday (if Darren and I weren’t working), we would run errands with Amaya, and the four of us would frequently go out to eat.

The weather was beautiful the last weekend in May. Hardly any clouds out as the sun reigned supreme. We ate at this restaurant called Honey-Burger (no, we didn’t always eat pizza, Chinese, or breakfast foods). Honey-Burger made special hamburgers loaded with all kinds of toppings and their most famous (and basic) one had a honey sauce. I had to try it, and I fell in love with it. The burger was juicy and perfectly cooked. The tomatoes, crisp lettuce, and the honey sauce made it perfectly sweet and savory.

Wyatt hung his head low as he finished his meal and he shook his head disappointingly.

“What’s the matter, Wyatt?” I asked.

“It sucks not working. I just hate that I can’t regularly pay for a meal for myself, and I have to rely on Darren and Amaya.”

“Hey man, the offer is still on the table. I’m willing to pay your way sometimes. I have some money,” I said.

Wyatt shook his head. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, Gordeño, but no, you don’t really have money. Minimum wage is nothing, and I’m not gonna take money from a 16-year-old.”

We sat there in awkward silence on the patio outside. There were families, couples, and groups of friends around us under yellow and orange umbrellas. Off in the distance you could hear the screech of the Chicago trains going by. Darren and Amaya looked at each other and back at Wyatt.

“I just want you guys to know something.” Wyatt rubbed his shoulder. “Like, sometimes on Friday nights when Darren and Gordie are at work, I’ll hang out with my old college friends, and I’m still relying on them to supply me weed and beer ‘cuz I can’t afford it. Fortunately, though, I’ve been cutting back, so that’s probably a good thing for my health and playing ability. But there’s something else I wanted to mention. You might find it ridiculous, but I’ve been keeping track of every time the three of you have split the cost of a pizza or when Amaya has paid my way. And same with Darren. It’s just sad to see how long the list is.” Wyatt’s lips quivered, and his eyes became red and moist.

Darren reached to Wyatt’s shoulder and gave him a brotherly pat. “It’s alright, man. No need to keep a list. No one is keeping track. That’s what good friends do. You’re in a bit of a jam, that’s all. You’ll come out of it and be back on your feet again.”

“I’m in a little bit of a jam? The jam has lasted for years!”

“Hey man, I don’t make the rules of a jam-length. You’ll get over it, though.”

“I’m just really sorry, everyone, but know that I really do have a list. And one day, when I become a self-sustaining professional player at this freaking game, I will pay you all back the right amount I should have owed you all back at the time. I promise you that.”

Darren, Amaya, and I all chimed in with a variation of ‘don’t worry about it.’

“Thank you guys, but just know I’m aware of my debts,” Wyatt said.

I couldn’t wait for the summer, school felt like it was dragging on, but it didn’t bother me. I was starting to find enjoyment in my classes. Even though I was still bringing home B’s on report cards, I was learning and bettering myself. After the conversation with Amaya the first time we had brunch, her words echoed in the back of my head. Even though she was successful at the game, she was ready to adapt to a different lifestyle. There was a backup plan in place for her, and deep down in my core, I knew she was right. I didn’t want to admit it, but she was. It was tough to discern what I wanted to study for my future, but I didn’t try and think about it too much.

My parents still walked around the house like emotional zombies, so they didn’t pay too close attention to my schoolwork or what I did on the weekends. Part of me felt weird that they still hadn’t met Darren, Wyatt, and Amaya, but it seemed they didn’t have an interest. They never asked. I felt like their roommate instead of their son. Their lack of communication was disappointing, but I was fortunate to have such good friends and a fantastic game to pour my free time into. I’m going to college, and I’m getting outta’ here… If I’m not one of the top eight players, that is.

The school year finally ended, and it was already late July. Amaya was a person of her word. She bought a spectator pass for Darren, Wyatt, and me. Her hotel suite was covered by her sponsors, which was located in lower Manhattan. Which still didn’t sound real to me, lower Manhattan, me? Me staying in lower Manhattan? We only had to pay for food, airfare, and subway trips.

Fortunately, I didn’t have much of a life besides going out to eat with Darren, Wyatt, and Amaya. I saved enough money for the trip from working at the grocery store. It was effortless in the summertime, getting more shifts and working longer hours.

For Wyatt, it was a little bit of a different story. He had to ask his mom for money but promised he’d win the doubles tournament and pay her back. Apparently, he convinced her after persuading her about how good his chances would be with Amaya as his partner. I was surprised to hear that she gave him the money, but after I thought about it more, it made sense.

The only hurdle I had left was talking to my parents about it.